Review: The Glass Menagerie

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The Glass Menagerie.
This is a show that my friend @BroadwayBobNYC says is in his top plays list, so I decided to go along and see it, just to see if I agreed. The Glass Menagerie is a really interesting piece of drama. It follows a story which I think that the majority of families are able to relate with. The characters are a part of a dysfunctional family, which many of us have. It may have been written in 1944, but it is still relevant  today. A show such as this one heavily relies on a good cast, and I think this production is lucky enough to have that. I give high praise to Cherry Jones, Michael Esper and Kate O'Flynn, all of which I thought were amazing! I have to admit, I wasn't  a huge fan of Brian J. Smith, however I am aware I am in the vast minority in that opinion. I'm not sure what it was, in my eyes the performance didn't seem right. Many disagree however, so perhaps I'm missing something ? The production aspects of the show really shine, especially the lighting and costume design, however I did also like the set design. The show had one of the best production designs I have seen in a while. I cannot praise the production aspects enough, it is clear that a lot of detail has been put into them. Hopefully they will pick up a few Olivier's in these categories. The only negative that I can think of is that there were a few points in the show that dragged. The show runs at 2 hours and 20 minutes, including an interval. There was noticeably quite a bit that could be cut out. Having said this, I thought there were a smaller amount of times that dragged on during act two. Act two was amazing and featured some really astonishing acting.

The featured star of The Glass Menagerie is, drum roll please... MICHAEL ESPER!

I've heard a mixed response to Michael Esper's performance, but I thought he was amazing. He left a lot of mystery to the character of Tom, which worked perfectly. I found him, by far, to be the most interesting character. I truly believe this is due to Michael's acting. I thought he was phenomenal!

Now for my final verdict on The Glass Menagerie. I give The Glass Menagerie...

I give this rating because the show follows an interesting and relatable storyline, with a great cast and great production aspects. However, as I said, there were certain parts of the show which dragged on.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below. Thanks for reading.

I have some really exciting news... I will be heading out to America over Easter and will be catching a few shows! The reviews will be out as soon as I get back, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer